Rashad Short Found Guilty in Two Separate Columbus Murders

Posted on 8/2/2022

Defendant: Rashad Short

A Franklin County jury on Thursday July 28ᵗʰ found Rashad Short, last known address 989 East 17ᵗʰ Ave, Columbus, guilty of two separate murder charges following a nine-day trial. The court convicted Short of nine counts stemming from the shooting deaths of Jordan Gray and Dante McCormick.

On April 23, 2020, Short shot and killed Gray as he sat inside a rental moving truck at the corner of Audubon Road and East Tulane Road. Mr. Gray succumbed to his injuries at 2:52 a.m. at Riverside Methodist Hospital after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. A video recovered from a nearby residence showed Short unload a barrage of gunfire directly at Gray.

On May 28, 2020, Short shot and killed McCormick at an apartment on Pontiac Street at approximately 
1:21 a.m. McCormick was pronounced dead outside the apartment. Another person at the apartment was shot multiple times and survived. That witness, following a lengthy recovery, informed Columbus Police that Short was the person responsible for the shooting.

Acting on information that Short would be at a given location at a given time, a SWAT team arrested him on November 4, 2020 at 5466 North High Street. The officers, upon searching Short, found a Glock Model 30 .45 caliber handgun loaded with a full magazine of ammunition and a chamber round. Short also had 24.901 grams of cocaine and fentanyl.

Prior to the jury’s guilty verdict announcement, Short pleaded guilty to one second- degree felony count of possession of cocaine with a one-year firearm specification.

On indictment 20cr5345, Short was found guilty by jury of nine counts including:
•  Aggravated murder – victim Jordan Gray
•  Murder – victim Jordan Gray
•  Murder – victim Jordan Gray
•  Aggravated burglary – victims Dante McCormick and surviving victim
•  Aggravated murder – victim Dante McCormick
•  Murder – victim Dante McCormick
•  Murder – victim Dante McCormick
•  Attempted murder – surviving victim
•  Felonious assault – surviving victim

Short faces additional time for the use of a firearm in the above offenses. He is set to be sentenced at 9 a.m. on Tuesday August 2.

Franklin County Assistant Prosecutors Leigh Bayer and Jeff Zezech handled the case. The testimony of Columbus Division of Police Detective Delbert Chapman helped lead to a conviction.